The invention relates to a transport vehicle for containers, having a first set-down surface on which a container can be set down, and having two mutually opposing guide surfaces which extend towards one another in the direction of the first set-down surface in order to guide a container during set-down on the transport vehicle in the direction of the first set-down surface, wherein the first set-down surface is disposed between the guide surfaces.
Typical areas of application of such transport vehicles are loading and unloading plants for containers and in this connection in particular the transport of containers within container terminals in sea ports or inland ports and in container terminals for combined traffic between road and rail.
In this context, containers are understood to be ISO containers in the sense of large-capacity or sea freight containers with standardised pick-up points or corner fittings for load picking-up means which are used in the international transportation of goods. The most widely used are ISO containers with a standard width of 8 feet or 2438 mm and a length of 20, 40 or 45 feet.
Furthermore, containers also designated as pallet-wide or wide-body containers should also be included, having a width of more than 2438 mm, in particular of about 2500 to 2550 mm but otherwise having the stated lengths and standardised corner fittings of ISO containers.
A corresponding transport vehicle is arranged for a payload of at least 20 t and is accordingly designed as a heavy-duty transport vehicle. Said containers can weigh up to 45 t in the loaded condition. A transport vehicle which travels empty or transports an empty container should also be understood in this way provided that this vehicle can transport a payload of at least 20 t.
Such transport vehicles usually comprise wheels with tires, e.g. air-filled rubber tires, and are also floor-bound but not rail-bound and can therefore travel freely. Accordingly, the transport vehicles in the present case are to be distinguished from rail vehicles and in particular railway wagons. Furthermore, the transport vehicles can be operated manually via an accompanying driver in the driver's cabin, in a semi-automated manner or—in the case of so-called automated guided vehicles (AGVs) which do not have to have a driver's cabin—in a fully automated manner and therefore in a driverless manner. These transport vehicles are conventionally driven by diesel-electric, diesel-hydraulic or fully electric means, in particular by battery.
Transport vehicles which correspond to one of the above-described types are known e.g. from the German laid-open documents DE 10 2007 039 778 A1 and DE 10 2009 025 051 A1.
In the known transport vehicles, in particular the guide surfaces formed by so-called position-adapters are arranged for the transportation of ISO-containers of standard width. In this connection, the guide surfaces comprise a minimum and, in particular, unchangeable distance from each other, which is somewhat greater than the standard width of 2438 mm but less than the width of a wide-body container. Thus in particular wide-body containers cannot be set down in a stable manner on a set-down surface disposed in the region of the minimum distance between the guide surfaces. However, this would be required for secure transportation since the containers are not generally locked in their corner regions by means of twist locks in the case of such transport vehicles. Secure and stable set-down on the regions of the guide surfaces which are spaced widely enough apart and usually extend in an inclined manner is not possible since in this case there is a risk of slipping down on the inclined guide surfaces and of the container being in an unstable inclined position. Thus, corresponding wide-body containers have previously not been transported with the above-mentioned transport vehicles and in particular not loaded in an automated manner on corresponding transport vehicles but have been handled and transported using manually operated transport vehicles such as e.g. reach stackers.